Call to increase staff, facilities at Paktia zonal hospital

GARDEZ (Pajhwok): Some residents and officials of southeastern Paktia province say the provincial civil hospital is lacking equipment and staff amid increasing number of patients.

Paktia deputy governor Abdul Wali Sahi told Pajhwok Afghan News the Ministry of Public Health had cheated them in affairs of the civil hospital in Gardez, the provincial capital.

“They (the ministry) only changed the health center’s name while equipment and personnel are not enough even on the province level,” he said.

Sahi said other parts of the province also lacked health facilities. He urged the government to be certain about equipment before inaugurating a project like hospital.

“There is no facility except the building. I realized it when I became sick and came to this hospital. I saw just two doctors in this so-called zonal hospital. Neither I nor people are satisfied,” he added.

Patients in the hospital complained they had to wait for hours and never treated in time and as needed.

Maryam, who had come from Tera area of Gardez for treatment, said: “It is already 10am the doctors just came in. They don’t examine patients properly and some return without treatment.”

In response to these complaints, provincial public health director Wilayat Khan Ahmadzai said the hospital was operating on province level and it would be converted to the zone level in future.

The 100-bed hospital director, Dr. Aseel Khan Nasiri, confirmed the hospital had not been staffed on zonal hospital and the previous staff were not enough.

Nasir said a three-year contract would be signed two months later with relevant institutions and urged the authorities to approve the hospital’s zone level and pay serious heed to its staff in the agreement.

“We have been given medicines for 65,308 patients while around 2.5 million people live in Paktia and people come from districts also visit so these problems should be met.”

Three months back, Public Minister Dr. Ferozuddin Feroz, at the head of a high-level delegation arrived in Paktia and upgraded the hospital to zonal. According to rules, a zonal hospital should be at least 250-bed and be facilitated according to the beds.